Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
“I won’t let you get shot in the brain, damn it,” she muttered.
He turned and pinned her with a gaze, letting his eyes go full on demon green. “In there, inside, we had fun. You disobey me this time, and you won’t like the results. It won’t be fun.” He kissed her. Hard. “I’d never hit you, and I’ll never harm you, but I have no problem with you not being able to sit for a week. Take that to heart, mate.” He took a second to memorize her beautiful face and the spirit that had glimmered in her eyes.
Then he turned and leaped up into a flurry of bullets.
* * * *
Rain pounded down, plastering Abby’s hair to her face. The asphalt was rough beneath her hands, but she crouched low, her heart thundering. The bullets pinged off the truck and building, ricocheting in different directions. She was protected right in place, and if she moved an inch, she might get hit.
But how could she let Noah face her ex, her biggest mistake, on his own?
Immortal. He couldn’t die. But he could get hurt. Though he’d asked her, ordered her, to trust him. She kept low, her face against the front grill, and crept around the side.
Noah ran full bore, head down, right at Monte, who kept shooting.
A bullet ripped right through Noah’s shoulder, throwing blood and continuing on to hit the door of the building.
“Noah,” Abby screamed.
He was a blur of motion, almost too fast to follow. Several more bullets hit him dead center and he hitched, paused, and then lunged the rest of the way. He leaped over the van and took Monte down and out of sight.
A scuffle echoed, then a high-pitched scream.
Then silence.
Abby’s hands shook and she forced herself to stand, looking over the wide expanse of wet asphalt. “Noah?” she croaked. He had to be okay. He had to be telling the truth about being immortal. God, he had to be all right. “Noah!”
He stood up on the other side of the van and walked around the front, blood once again pouring from holes in his chest and one in his cheek.
She ran toward him, and he met her halfway. The hole in his cheek revealed his teeth and upper jaw bone. Her stomach lurched, and she swallowed down bile. “How badly are you hurt?” Her hand trembled as she gingerly touched his jawline.
“I’ll be fine.” A whistle sounded through the hole in his face.
She winced. “Heal that, would you?” Then she looked toward the quiet fence line. “Monte?”
“Not going to be fine.” The bone and muscle began to stitch together in Noah’s face as he reached for the phone in his back pocket and quickly dialed. “Tabi?” he asked. “It’s Noah. How do you feel about ditching a van for me?” The skin slowly healed over his cheekbone, turning an angry red. “Yes, I’ll owe you one. Yes. Thanks.” The red turned to his bronze skin tone.
Abby watched, fascinated. “That’s amazing.” One day she’d be able to do that.
He kissed her, his face whole again. Thank goodness. Then he levered back. “I have to take care of another body.”
She frowned. Shouldn’t she feel something, anything, that Monte was gone? They had been married, although he’d been a jerk the whole time.
She wiped rain off her face. “I’m sorry. I made my own problems, and you cleaned them up. I’ll help you.” How did one get rid of a body? “If he just disappears, I’ll be the prime suspect, you know?”
“Maybe, but without a body, there’s not much of a case. And I have a couple of great lawyers. We’ll get them on the line.” He gently turned her toward his truck. “Go sit inside. You don’t help with bodies. Ever.”
That was a plan she could agree with, but this time was different. She’d caused some of this. “Noah—”
The slap to her ass propelled her two feet forward. She partially turned, her eyes widening.
He cocked his head. “There’s more where that came from. Just to the ass and to get you to take me seriously. It’s your choice or not.” His grin was pure sin. “Who knows? You might like a good spanking. Current literature shows that some girls do.”
She gasped and then coughed from the rain. And yes, her entire lower body was now on fire for him and anything he wanted to dish out. But she couldn’t just admit that. Good thing they had several lifetimes to play and have some fun. She gave him a look that hopefully promised retribution. With a huff, a good one, she turned and stomped through the rain to the truck, jumping in and getting his nice leather seat wet.
Her mate, even though she did love him already, could just handle all the dead bodies by himself. So there.